Kerry Washington left speechless by historic Emmy nom

Newlywed Kerry Washington celebrated her historic Emmy nomination at the airport minutes after arriving in Los Angeles for her hit show “Scandal”‘s first table read of the new season.

The actress, who plays a Washington, D.C. fixer who falls for the president, picked up her first Emmy nod on Thursday morning, and, in doing so, became the first African-American to be nominated for Best Drama Actress in 18 years.

Washington, who quietly wed football player Nnamdi Asomugha last month, tells The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m grateful to be in the company of the actresses I’m in the company of – including Alfre Woodard and Debbie Allen.

“I feel really proud to live in a world where a show like ‘Scandal’ people can see, survive and succeed, not just in the U.S. but overseas. I had someone from a Japanese network tell me how excited they are to have a woman of color from the U.S. in Japanese homes… It’s wonderful when the stories we engage in with the audience in such an intimate way are inclusive and diverse on a lot of levels.

“Our show is inclusive not only with race but also age, sexual orientation and with gender. It’s really exciting.”

And she admits the nomination, although expected by the experts, left her speechless: “People who know me well know how rare it is when I’m without words, and that’s how I felt – speechless and truly humbled and grateful.”